POPSUGAR 2018 Reading Challenge
This one's just for fun. If you need a little motivation to jumpstart your reading routine, check out the 2018 Reading Challenge via POPSUGAR.
A book made into a movie you've already seen
The Martian by Andy Weir (Astronaut Mark Watney, presumed dead in a dust storm, is left on Mars when the rest of the crew evacuates. He fights to survive until (if) help arrives. His journal entries are hilarious. Great mix of humor and adventure.)
★★★★
True crime
I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara (A gripping, meticulously-researched book about the search for the Golden State Killer who terrorized California for more than ten years.)
★★★★★
The next book in a series you started
Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire (The backstory of twins Jack and Jill, who were introduced in Every Heart a Doorway. Incredible.)
★★★★★
A book involving a heist
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (Currently reading--last book to complete!)
Nordic noir
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (A disgraced journalist joins forces with a tattooed hacker to research the mystery of a missing girl and her family's dark, tangled history.)
★★★⭑
A novel based on a real person
The Strays by Emily Bitto (A tale of female friendship set during the start of the modern art movement in 1930s Australia. Languidly descriptive writing.)
★★★★
A book set in a country that fascinates you
The Year of Living Danishly: My Twelve Months Unearthing the Secrets of the World's Happiest Country by Helen Russell (A light and breezy travel memoir about a couple that moves to a rural town in Denmark. Though it oozes privilege, there is some discussion about how critical a strong social safety net is to happiness.)
★★★★
A book with a time of day in the title
And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer by Fredrik Backman (A man gradually losing himself to Alzheimer's struggles to hold on to his memories and to say goodbye to his beloved grandson. A five-alarm snot-bomb, even on a reread.)
★★★★★
A book about a villain or antihero
Vicious by V.E. Schwab (Compulsively readable tale about two friends who make a discovery involving superpowers and become bitter enemies.)
★★★★★
A book about death or grief
Whiskey & Ribbons by Leesa Cross-Smith (When a police officer is killed in the line of duty, his wife and best friend have to navigate some complicated feelings. Yucky madonna/whore tropes spoiled an otherwise okay story for me.)
★★
A book with your favorite color in the title
Saving Red by Sonya Sones (A girl haunted by trauma tries to recover by reuniting a homeless girl with her family.)
★★★★
A book with alliteration in the title
Fire and Fury by Michael Wolff (Gossipy and snarky behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of a truly dysfunctional administration.)
★★★
A book about time travel
The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig (Nix and her father travel through time and space on a magical ship that can go anywhere, as long as they have the map.)
★★★
A book with a weather element in the title
Dashing Through the Snow by Debbie Macomber (Ash and Dash share the last rental car after their flight to Seattle gets canceled. Like a bad Hallmark Christmas movie.)
★★
A book set at sea
The Siren by Kiera Cass (Kahlen's life is spared during a shipwreck, but the price is to become a siren for 100 years, luring others to their deaths in the sea.)
★★★
A book with an animal in the title
Lion by Saroo Brierly (An Indian boy gets lost, adopted, and finds his way home.)
★★★
A book set on a different planet
Skippyjon Jones Lost in Spice by Judy Schachner (The tiny Siamese kitten with a big imagination has a super spicy adventure on the red planet. For extra fun, read this aloud to a child you love.)
★★★★★
A book with song lyrics in the title
Merry and Bright by Debbie Macomber (A cute holiday romance for fans of You've Got Mail.)
★★★
A book about or set on Halloween
Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds (Hilarious picture book about a hungry rabbit and the snack that may be more than it seems. A fantastic read-aloud.)
★★★★★
A book with characters who are twins
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty (Opens with a murder investigation and then jumps back to gradually reveal the murder, the victim, and how their paths collide.)
★★★★
A book with a female author who uses a male pseudonym
The silkworm by Robert Galbraith/J.K. Rowling (Cormoran and Robin are back, this time to investigate the brutal murder of a famous author.)
★★★★
A book with an LGBTQ+ protagonist
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (A gorgeous retelling of the Iliad that centers the love story between Achilles and Patroclus. Even if you know how it ends, be prepared for a five-alarm snot bomb.)
★★★★★
A book that is also a stage play or musical
Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow (A biography of the brilliant, outspoken, controversial founding father that inspired Lin-Manuel Miranda to create his amazing hip-hop musical, Hamilton.)
★★★★
A book by an author of a different ethnicity than you
The Vegetarian by Han Kang (If you’re up for a dark tale of violence, sexual obsession, and mental illness, this is for you.)
★★★★
A book about feminism
Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (A gentle reminder about the importance of raising feminist daughters, and fifteen suggestions about how to do it.)
★★★★★
A book about mental health
Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan (A young woman's harrowing account of the sudden onset of a rare brain condition--the same one that inspired The Exorcist.)
★★★★
A book you borrowed or that was given to you as a gift
Human Acts by Han Kang (Historical fiction centered around atrocities committed during a student uprising-turned massacre in Gwangju, South Korea in 1980 and the ongoing trauma in the aftermath.)
★★★★
A book by two authors
Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Erin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik (Conversational and informative introduction of a truly badass woman. RBG's incredible work ethic is matched only by her integrity and intellect.)
★★★★★
A book about or involving a sport
Quidditch Through the Ages by J.K. Rowling (If the Quidditch scenes were your favorite parts of the Harry Potter books, this one is for you.)
★★★
A book by a local author
Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar by Cheryl Strayed (Compassionate and wise advice, with a healthy dose of ass-kicking on the side. LOVED IT!)
★★★★★
A book mentioned in another book
State of Wonder by Ann Patchett (A woman journeys to the Amazon rainforest to find out the details of her co-worker's sudden death and is forced to confront her own demons along the way. Mentioned in Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert.)
★★★★
A book from a celebrity book club
Yes, Please by Amy Poehler (Charming and funny, with advice for getting what you want and still being nice about it.)
★★★★
A childhood classic you've never read
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery (Curious and talkative Anne is an orphan who ends up with the Cuthberts in place of the boy they asked for. She soon winds her way around their hearts.)
★★★★★
A book that's published in 2018
A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by Jill Twiss (A lovely little children's book about two boy bunnies who fall in love with each other. "Stink bugs are temporary. Love is forever.")
★★★★★
A past Goodreads Choice Awards winner
Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly (Different from the movie, but equally fantastic. Inspiring because of the women themselves and also because of the way they actively supported women who followed.)
★★★★★
A book set in the decade you were born
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak (After being sent to bed without supper, Max sets out to an island of monsters who make him their king. But being a monster isn''t all he hopes it will be and he longs to return home. A classic from my childhood that I'll love forever.)
★★★★★
A book you meant to read in 2017 but didn't get to
Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin (Unrelenting psychological horror that I read in a single, breathless rush. Weird and wonderful.)
★★★★
A book with an ugly cover
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel GarcÃa Márquez (Billed as a love story, but I read it as an obsession story heavily steeped in rape culture. Absolutely gorgeous writing but not my cup of tea.)
★★★
A book that involves a bookstore or library
The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan (Nina is a librarian who gets laid off and then uses her savings to buy an old van, which she turns into a mobile bookstore.)
★★★★
Your favorite prompt from the 2015, 2016, or 2017 POPSUGAR Reading Challenges
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt (After seeing his mother die during an attack in a museum, Theo clings to the last thing his mother loved--a small and valuable painting of a goldfinch. The plot goes in some strange directions, but the writing is utterly luminous.)
★★★★
ADVANCED
A bestseller from the year you graduated high school
Beloved by Toni Morrison (The gorgeous poetry of Morrison's writing makes the treatment of Sethe and the other slaves even more horrifying.)
★★★★
A cyberpunk book
The Long Tomorrow by Dan O'Bannon (The comic that started the cyberpunk genre.)
★★★
A book that was being read by a stranger in a public place
The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman (Lovely narrative nonfiction about Antonina Zabianski and her husband, Jan. They hid Jewish people in their zoo during the Nazi occupation of Poland.)
★★★★
A book tied to your ancestry
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante (An intense friendship between two girls set against the backdrop of poverty and toxic masculinity in Naples, Italy.)
★★★
A book with a fruit or vegetable in the title
The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekov (Part-comedy/part-tragedy about an aristocratic family forced to sell the estate they can no longer afford.)
★★★
An allegory
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (A young shepherd goes on a quest. I wanted to love this, but the way none of the women displayed an iota of agency was off-putting.)
★★★
A book by an author with the same first or last name as you
The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative by Florence Williams (Longer than it needs to be, but may motivate you to get outside more.)
★★★
A microhistory
Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky (While I didn't love the book's structure, the ways that salt has influenced the course of history is pretty interesting.)
★★★
A book about a problem facing society today
Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond (Like the overwhelming rate of incarceration for black men, the eviction rate for black women and children has serious and long-lasting consequences for communities. This is a difficult and fucking depressing read, but one I would recommend to everyone.)
★★★★
A book recommended by someone else taking the POPSUGAR Reading Challenge
[thanks to Brandyn from the Goodreads group]
Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick (A collection of witty biographical essays about the perks and pitfalls of fame, relationships, social anxiety, and becoming an adult when you’d really rather remain a man-baby.)
★★★⭑
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